Junipero's early life
by AndromedaCool159
Summary: What was Junipero’s life like BEFORE his rescue? Well, not an easy one. Given the horse name Trigg at birth, his life has held nothing but misfortunes. (Trigg because I can't have him be named yet for reasons known to fans).
1. Not quite expected

Animals giving new birth on the frontier is not easy going. Nearly all the newborns have to learn to walk within hours after they are born. This would especially be an upcoming challenge for wild horses Truka and Honotik (both appaloosas),expecting a newborn colt or foal It was mid summer in the Rocky Mountains, and there were 2 things every living thing there knew. 1. Many predatory animals lived and moved around the Rocky Mt. areas. 2. Winter by the Rockies were extremely cold. The two horses knew that the new baby would have to start walking within hours of its delivery if it stood a chance at surviving…. In the middle of the night, the colt was delivered.

"Are you ok, Truka?" Honotik asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," she huffed and whinnied.

They both turn to look at the newborn. Panicking, Truka leaped up and looked in the long, tangled grass looking around like a cat that got it's mouse stolen by a hawk.

"Are you sure you didn't have another false alarm?"

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't a-"

A scratchy unhorse like noise bellowed out, shocking the couple.

"That's my son? He's so punny." Honotik exclaimed, shockingly, "He'll never make it around to different grazing lands, and he certainly won't make it past adulthood."

"It's our son Honotik. And he is perfectly fine you'll see," Truka said completely overjoyed.

The newborn neighed and bumped his head on the ground of grass as if it hurt to make noise. The baby was quite small for a newborn colt. He had small tufts of black mane like he got it cut by a blind groomer, or if someone had yanked parts of his mane out. His coat was dark brown, with a small spotted brown and white patch on his rump. A blanket appaloosa.

"He's beautiful," Truka beamed with joy.

Honotik, on the other hand was not at all amused at the sight of his new son, "If he can't stand by sunset we are leaving! We can't take care of a crumpled mess like that."

"Trigg is going to stand and walk beautifully and then I want you to go his pace," Truka aggressively bellowed, "After that I don't want to hear another word of negativity about him."

"Truka, it's becoming winter and we have to head south or we'll be buried in snow and all freeze to death. Not to mention wolves, cougars, and humans. Even a baby owl could scoop this THING up!"

"You don't like Trigg, do you?"

Wailing neighs filled the air from the tiny newborn.

"Don't worry about your father," Truka tried to comfort the colt, "he is a fast hotheaded paced stallion. You can walk when you can." She softly nudged the newborn. Even the small bump was enough to knock the little thing over.

"That is not an option! If he does that in the wilds, he will be killed faster than than you could think of an apple being eaten. If he can't gallop today then I will leave and catch up to the others, I don't care if you both freeze to death."

"That's fine by me! Honotik…"

Sunset came fast and Honotik, more irritated than ever, was anxiously trotting in circles, waiting to run towards the rest of the herd.

"Honotik come see this" Truka, more excited than ever at the sight. Hoping to see progress Honotik ran over.

Trigg crawled his way, still unable to stand, inching his way over to his, rather angry, father.

"Isn't he making such great progress?" Truka whinnied.

"He can't walk."

"But he can get somewhere."

"He can't gallop!" Honotik let out the loudest bellow he could make.

"He is making progress! Cut it out!"

"We can't waste anymore time! Winter in the Rockies will freeze us all, we have to find warmer weather, or the grass will be under feet of snow and freeze us."

"I'm not leaving him! He deserves a chance."

"Well while you believe you can save a thing like that, I'll be warm with the herd. I'm out of here!" Honotik stormed off, not looking back, not the slightest care about the newborn and mare behind him.

"Where's the fire?" Truka softly neighs, starting to doubt being left was such a good idea after all.

She looked at the young colt. "Well, he's going to miss out."


	2. Try it

A week passed since Honotik stormed off. Truka was still holding onto hope for the tiny Trigg.

"Come on, sweetie. Just take one step."

The small baby stuck his head up when he heard his mother's familiar voice. And let out the highest screeching neigh he could.

"That's the spirit, come on my little one. Stand up, It's ok. Come walk towards me… come to Mama."

The tiny colt crawled towards his mother on his knees. His hooves were curled up underneath his tiny body, and he was so fragile, his legs almost always looked broken.

"That's good, but try to stand and walk. Try it," she said as she sadly stared at her son's twisted fetlocks knowing the truth in Honotik's words. It would be a miracle if this young one could live another month.

I can do it. Trigg thought unable to communicate properly.

"Seems like you've got a twisted slug rat," out of the trees, a large, hungry, black wolf approaches.

"Zuclux!" Truka furiously screamed.

"Truka, what a surprise. I was hoping me and my pack could find some fresh meat." Zuclux said, Eyeing the helpless Trigg.

"My son is not a free lunch!"

"You have a son?"

"Yes! The 'twisted slug rat', is my strong baby boy."

"Well, to me and my pack he's a meaty, juicy, meal… Sorry, I meant to say he'll be a great side dish."

"You can't have him."

"Why so confident? We are going to be doing you a huge favor." Zuclux snarled and snapped. Three other wolves were there too. One of them was quite big and bulky, the other two were smaller than Zuclux.

"No! I won't let you near him!" Truka rears up, wild as ever. Determined to protect Trigg at any cost.

"Get the meat!" Zuclux yelled to her pack.

Trigg, cried out to his mother. "Trigg!" Truka bellowed. Fighting off the two smaller wolves sinking their teeth into her rear and back.

The big wolf grabbed Trigg around his small body, lifting him off the ground as if the colt was weightless, feet dangling behind. Trigg could hear his mother calling from a ways off. Soon that sound disappeared and Trigg found himself in a cold dark cave.

"There you go now, stop whining!" The big wolf barked.

A young wolf pup came out from deep inside the cave.

"Pupa, what is this?" The pup asked, big round dark eyes fixed on the big wolf.

"This is dinner the pack found for us, food is scarce the closer to winter we get. The pack will need to stay strong and healthy from all the things we can get out teeth on."

"It doesn't look so healthy, pupa. Just look at its legs, all tangled up tight… Are they broken, Pupa?"

"Who cares if our food can't walk away, you should be thankful son! Now stop messing around and dig in, the pack should have caught the bigger dinner by now. I'll need to go collect some more meat."

'Pupa?' Trigg thought. You couldn't even tell they'd be related. The dad sounded and acted so angry… kind of like my own sire I guess. Trigg tried to say something. A high pitched squeak was all that came out.

The big wolf left. Trigg squeaked loudly, scared of being eaten he tries hard to curl up the tightest he can make himself. A cold feeling shakes Trigg's spine, he jerked his head up to see the young pup sniffing him with his cold wet nose.

"This doesn't look like food," the pup whispered. "It's a living thing. I've never eaten a living thing before! Where's the bread?"

Out of nowhere the pup starts to try to lift Trigg from his tail, Trigg letting out a faint cry.

"Sorry! Did I hurt you?" The young pup began to sob. "I hate this! Why can't my Mum come back to feed me?! Just try mum, just try to come back." The pup runs to the nearest wall in the cave and continues to sob.

Trigg thought it was odd a wolf pup who vows to 'never eat a living thing', but the only noise he could make was a high squeak and he couldn't walk, let alone stand up. But Trigg knew he had to if he wanted to try to comfort the pup, ever see his mother again, or even to make it through whatever the animals called 'winter'.

Trigg tried and tried, but he just felt like a rag doll with feet that are glued to the bottom. He tried and tried, straining his shoulders to push himself up. It was no use. Trigg couldn't walk. He could hardly move his hooves at all.


	3. First time for everything

Chapter 3

It didn't matter, Trigg was not going anywhere anytime soon.

Didn't seem like long before the big papa wolf came flying through the mouth of the great stone hole, holding a large floppy white thing in his mouth.

"It took some effort, but I caught a big dumb goose. Boy, did he put up a fight. My son, someday you will be hunting all on your own, and you will make me, your mother, and the entire pack proud to have you around."

The pup ran up to his father, "Is mum coming back to feed me?"

"What's wrong with the fresh meat I got you?!" glaring from Trigg to the pup.

"Nothing, I just want something less…"

"Less what!"

"Less… Living. I like this thing pupa, it needs to have a life. I don't want to kill."

The big wolfs mouth was in a twisted snarl "Then perhaps you'd rather be killed!" The father snapped.

"No, I just said I don't like it."

"Well! What else would you prefer?!!"

"Mum's milk, bread, grass, something unalive like that!"

"Well, don't blame me when you starve," the father biting around the young pups scruff and throwing him against the wall of the cave.

Trigg watched the whole thing, unable to get up. He knew it was now left to him and the muscular father. The wolf was certainly ready for a dinner of any size.

For the first time, almost as if he were caught in a dream, Trigg's legs lifted up and he ran. Ran like his life was depending on nothing else.

Trigg ran as fast as he could which wasn't as fast as he needed to. His legs wobbled around like a rattle, wide apart. While he ran away his legs burned, surely they would fall off Trigg thought. A ways out of the mouth of that cold stony death trap. All that mattered is where he could go to get out of the grasps of that wolf.

About a mile in some direction he found a bush growing out of a rock and a small crack from the roots, just big enough for Trigg to slip through. For a moment he was safe.

He squished between the sides of the rock. He soon wished he had gone through with his rear first, so he could know what was just outside. His legs hurt so much he couldn't stand right and his legs went right underneath his body again. He was able to calm himself for a few moments before, yet another thing make him stiffen up.

A quiet eerie voice came from outside. "My rock. My tree. My leaves. My pebbles. My dirt. My crack. My grass… MY HOME!"

Trigg felt the thing slide from under him. It then slid up to meet Trigg's gaze.

"You're mine!" A rattlesnake hissed.

Trigg couldn't explain himself, not even a squeak. He couldn't speak, get out, or even find safety.

Footsteps of something came closer. Trigg's heart raced. The big wolf had found Trigg's smell once again.

"I found you! If you want to eat you'll have to come out! Nowhere for you to run now."

The snake glared at the opening of the crack and slid down the terrified colt's spine.

"This is my rock. My tree. My dirt. My HOME! Get out!" He hissed.

"That is my food! He can't run forever. Let me have him!"

"My colt now. My home. My colt. MY home. MY colt. MY THINGS BELONG TO MEE!"

The snake then started to try to bite the wolf, lunging his thick scaley body towards the wolf. The wolf grabbed the snake and shook him. He didn't grab quite in the right place and the snake was able to bite him, making the big wolf howl, drop the snake, and run home.

"My territory." The snake then went after the wolf and disappeared.

Trigg knew the snake would be back and that he had to get out of the crack and get somewhere safe. He tried to wiggle out… no luck.

"Try to stay calm and breathe before trying to pull yourself," the voice of the young wolf said, "breathing gives your muscles strength."

Trigg did just what the young pups said, yet continued to hesitate thinking how surprised he was that the pup came looking from him. He breathed in as much as he could from between the walls, and tried to pull. He slid backwards just a little bit.

"Do it again."

Doing it again seemed impossible to Trigg. The walls seemed to be closer together. He tried and didn't move an inch.

"Try breathing from your lungs and rotating just a little bit this time."

Trigg did it again and this time he came popping out.

Trigg was relieved that the wolf pup came to save him. And got up quickly and tried to use head signals to motion the pup to follow him, out of the territory of the snake.

Trigg and the pup walked, on the way to who knows where.

"You you got pretty stuck in that crack, buddy."

Trigg squeaked, "I know."

"Hey! You talked!"

"I-I-I, did,"

"This is great first you start walking and now you're talking. I've always wanted a friend… well. One outside of the pack. This is great! What's your name?"

Trigg looked down at his legs, he was walking but very clumsy. His back legs crossing almost around to the front of his front legs. Might as well look down at his feet to keep from tripping over himself.

"M-m-my name is Tr-rigg."

"That's a good name, I love it! I wish I had a name like that."

"Well what i-i-is… your n-name?" Trigg asked.

"My name?" The pup looked at his rear toes, "My name is… Trouble."

"It's, ok. I'm sure It's fine." Trigg reassured him.

"No! I mean… My name is, Trouble."

"Trouble?"

Trouble nodded

"Well. Wh-what if I called you s-s-s-s-something else? Like, Hunter."

"I don't like it very well… Bear?"

"What ab-bout, Boomer?"

"Maybe… Logan? No, wait!... Buck?"

"Well, when you find a na-ame, let-t me know."

"...So what do you like?"

"W-wait, what?!"

"What do you like? You know?"

"I'm not-t sure I under-rstand-d the question."

"What's your favorite food? What do you like to do for fun? I like bread, running, sniffing."

"You've h-h-had bread? When?"

"About 3 months ago. Pupa came in the cave and said he got something 'very rare' from some travelers going westward. Bread was one of the things he brought. They're not found everywhere, just sometimes when people come walking around."

"I guess m-my favorit-te food's apples."

"That would make sense…"

The afternoon was full of cheer and conversation for Trigg and Trouble. But when night came the temperature became unbearable for the two.

"I-I… I can't walk mu-uch f-farther, Trouble."

"We need to find somewhere warm for the night," Trouble looked around, there were plenty of trees around that could block out the wind. "Let's come over here there's a big tree that could keep us warm."

Trigg went over to Trouble and the base of the tree. They tried to curl up together so they could get warm. They were able to stay there for a minute until the wind changed direction.

"Trouble!" Trigg cried out.

"I know, my cave was not this cold at night."

"Do y-you understand wh-why?"

"I think the wind didn't blow in the cave. Or maybe because I'd try to snuggle in warmly next to pupa when he was asleep and wouldn't bite me for misbehaving."

"And you two are? Who?" A strange voice called out

"S-s-sorry!" Trigg cried, "who are y-y-you?"

"More like where are you?!" Trouble yelped, curious but irritated at the same time.

A huge winged bird came falling silently from the trees. Huge talons, big eyes, yet such a kind voice came out of him.

"I know this land better than any other animal around. I know of a place you two could rest warmly."

"May we?"

"Oh no! You two want to take advantage of the knowledge I possess."

"No! Mr. Bird."

"Owl." Trouble whispered to Trigg.

"I can't just give things out without something in return."

Trigg looked at the cold wolf pup curled next to him the best he could, eyes starting to freeze. Then felt the gnawing pain in his ears and feet.

"Wh-what would w-we have to d-do to get war-rmth f-for the night?"

"Catch a rat… for me."

"A rat?!" Trouble shrieked, "Trigg, Neither of us can catch an animal like that. Plus, remember? I HATE Hunting! This owl just wants to kill a living thing, I won't agree to him."

"Don't worry Trouble, I won't make you," Trigg turned and looked the owl in the eyes, "I'll catch you a rat tomorrow."

Trouble, in shock. The owl, quite joyful. Trigg, having no idea what he had just signed up for.

The owl led them to a huge bush with a hollowed out trunk. The three stepped inside, and surprisingly, they could all for fit in the trunk with some space left over.

"This is my home," the owl announced, "I can let you stay here and keep warm, but tomorrow, you need to pay for your stay. Understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Owl. No worries about that," Trigg reassured him.

Just to be clear, you are to wake up and hunt. No Making up excuses to go running off for free. I once killed a moose for destroying the beautiful wild roses surrounding my bush. I'm a good host until I'm cheated on. I'll be able to hear you if you try to escape."

"We both understand, we'll get you a rat so you can eat and we can go."

The owl took off out the opening. The two icy bodies collapsed on a nice warm, but rocky, ground.

"It's not the n-nicest place to s-sleep, but it's bett-ter than out in the w-wind," Trigg yawned in relieve not noticing the irritated pup next to him.

"What were you thinking?! We could have found a better place. Why are you agreeing to do something you can't do?"

"W-where were we supposed-d to go? We would have fr-rozen to d-d-death out there."

"Fine, I get your point! Just… How are you planning to catch a rat?"

"It shouldn't be too hard," Trigg looked out at the now rainy night, "Catching an animal can be easy… Right?"

Trouble stared at him in disbelief, "Do you even know how big a rat is?"

Looking blankly, "I assume about your size. Maybe a little bit bigger."

"Oh, brother! How to explain them… They are like big mice."

"Really?"

"Like slightly bigger, longer, scarier mice. Now, you'll have to catch one tomorrow, or we'll be the owls Thanksgiving Dinner! And I hate killing stuff so you have to do this yourself."

Panicking about the thought of his situation, Trigg began to tear up. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought we both needed to be warm tonight. Are you sure you can't help me catch a rat?"

"I'm sure I made a promise I'd like to keep, unless you agree I should have never spared your life twice today. If you agree I should have torn you to shreds."

"I'm sorry, I'm going to m-m-make this right," Trigg rests his head on the warm ground, thinking of how big the mistake he made could possibly get. If he couldn't find food for the owl, they would have to take the rats place.

Not too long after Trigg had attempted sleep, Trouble came up to him and said, "Trigg, could you please call me Scamp?"

"Sure, that's a great name for you," Trigg yawned before drifting off to a deep sleep.


End file.
